Hot and ready game

ABSTRACT

The invention provides a method of determining symbols or numbers in a casino game that have not been randomly drawn over a determined period of time. The symbols or numbers that have not been randomly drawn, selected, or dealt (ready numbers) may be displayed on a display interface for a player to review. A player may select the as many as all of the ready numbers or select as few as none of the ready numbers for use in the next gaming event.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a gaming system and provides an interactive gaming environment. More particularly, the invention relates to an apparatus and method which improves player interactivity and excitement in the playing of a casino style game.

BACKGROUND

Casino games such as keno, blackjack, roulette, and various poker games are very popular and avid users of such games are familiar with how to play each of these games. In contrast, new users of such games may have a hard time playing such games due to their unfamiliarity with such games making selection of symbols and/or numbers when required during play difficult. In developing new games and/or features for existing games, developers attempt to incorporate features which will assist in maintaining avid player excitement while keeping the new features easy to play so that new users do not shy away from the playing these games.

For example, keno is a known casino game in which a player selects a quantity of numbers usually ranging between 1 and 100 on a ticket or computer screen. The quantity of numbers allowed to be selected may depend upon whether the keno game is a live keno game or being played on a video game machine. For instance, in a live casino keno game, a player may be allowed to select up to fifteen numbers per game, whereas, most video keno games allow players to select at most ten numbers per keno game.

The payout for winning a keno game may depend upon numerous factors which include amount wagered, quantity of numbers selected, range of numbers available for selection, and number of player selections matching randomly drawn numbers (typically twenty) in a game. The potential payouts may be available for display in the form of a payout table.

In video keno, the selection of numbers may be indicated by player activation of numbers displayed on a video display or screen. The video display having a player interface may comprise a grid that includes numerically sequenced squares which may be activated by pressing defined keys or through a touch sensitive display screen. The selected numerical squares may be highlighted when activated to illustrate which numbers have been selected. Once the player has selected a quantity of numbers for the game, the video keno game machine or a central server randomly selects winning numbers and compares these winning numbers to the player's selected numbers to determine a potential payout.

The speed of the game depends upon the time needed for the player to select their numbers to be played. Often a player's selection takes a considerable amount of time as a player attempts to select numbers which they feel have a better chance of being matched with the randomly drawn numbers. For instance, a player may attempt to select ‘Hot’ numbers or numbers which they have believe have been chosen with more frequency over a particular time frame. New players of keno may want assistance in the selection of numbers, whereas, avid player may want a new method of choosing numbers or alternative number combinations to increase their excitement during play.

Furthermore, increased time for selecting numbers for play reduces the number of games that may be played within a given time period. Therefore, there is a need for a gaming apparatus and method which increases the number of games a player may play in a given amount of time. The apparatus and method should be interactive and increase both an avid player's and new player's enjoyment of the game.

SUMMARY

Aspects of the present invention overcome problems and limitations of the prior art by providing an apparatus and method for operating a casino style game. In an aspect of the invention, numbers or symbols in a game that have not been randomly drawn over a defined period of time are determined. These numbers or symbols may be ranked and displayed on a user interface for potential use in a gaming event. A player may select all of the displayed numbers or symbols, select a few of the numbers or symbols, or select none of the displayed numbers or symbols for use in a gaming event.

In aspect of the invention, an apparatus for playing keno may comprise a display, card reader, memory, and a processor coupled to the memory to execute computer-executable instructions. In an embodiment, a set of numbers that have not been randomly selected over a period of time ‘ready numbers’ may be ranked and displayed for selection. The numbers, if selected, may be displayed on a grid comprising columns and rows. An outcome set of random numbers may be drawn and compared to a player's selected numbers to determine any potential payouts for any matching numbers.

In another aspect of the invention, a set or group of numbers that have been randomly selected more frequently than other randomly selected numbers over a period of time ‘hot numbers’ may also be displayed. A player may select a combination of both ‘ready’ and ‘hot’ numbers for use in a gaming event. The selected numbers may be displayed on a grid comprising columns and rows. An outcome set of random numbers may be drawn and compared to a player's selected numbers to determine any potential payouts for any matching numbers.

In certain embodiments of the invention, the invention may be partially or wholly implemented with other casino games, such as roulette, blackjack, and any type of poker game.

In certain embodiments of the invention, the invention may be partially or wholly implemented with a computer-readable medium, for example, by storing computer-executable instructions or modules, or by utilizing computer-readable data structures. The present invention may be partially or wholly implemented in other configurations such as a handheld computer game, a casino software game, a wireless handheld casino game, and/or known gaming systems such as Xbox or PlayStation. Of course, the methods and systems of the above-referenced embodiments may also include other additional elements, steps, computer-executable instructions, or computer-readable data structures.

The details of these and other embodiments of the present invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention may take physical form in certain parts and steps, embodiments of which will be described in detail in the following description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a diagram of a system that may be used to implement various aspects of the invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of a game machine that may be used in accordance with an aspect of the invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary user interface screen which may be displayed in accordance with an aspect of the invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary user interface screen of a roulette game which may be displayed in accordance with an aspect of the invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary user interface screen of a blackjack game which may be displayed in accordance with an aspect of the invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary user interface screen of a poker game which may be displayed in accordance with an aspect of the invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary user interface screen of a 5 by 5 keno game in accordance with an aspect of the invention.

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary method of enabling a player to select various numbers for a keno game in accordance with an aspect of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a diagram of a system that may be used to implement aspects of the invention. A plurality of game machines 102-106 may be operatively coupled to central computer or server 108 through a network 112. Typically, server 108 is a dedicated machine, but an appropriately configured game machine may also serve as its own server and/or a server for other game machines. The central computer or server 108 may include a random number algorithm for use in various gaming scenarios. A secondary central computer 110 may also be used as a backup to server 108 or to handle the additional load that may be encountered by operation of simultaneous banks of gaming machines.

In an aspect of the invention, game machines 102-106 may be networked together through a communications network such as communications network 112. Communications network 112 may represent: 1) a local area network (LAN); 2) a simple point-to-point network (such as direct modem-to-modem connection); and/or 3) a wide area network (WAN), including the Internet and other commercial based network services. Game machines 102-106 may also be connected to central servers 108 and 110 through communications network 112 using various well-known protocols, such as TCP/IP, Ethernet, FTP, HTTP, BLUETOOTH, Wi-Fi, ultra wide band (UWB), low power radio frequency (LPRF), radio frequency identification (RFID), infrared communication, IrDA, third-generation (3G) cellular data communications, Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), or other wireless communication networks or the like may be used as the communications protocol. The gaming machines 102-106 may be physically connected to each other or one or more networks via twisted pair wires, coaxial cable, fiber optics, radio waves or other media.

The term “network” as used herein and depicted in the drawings should be broadly interpreted to include not only systems in which remote storage devices are coupled together via one or more communication paths, but also stand-alone devices that may be coupled, from time to time, to such systems that have storage capability. Consequently, the term “network” includes not only a “physical network” but also a “content network,” which is comprised of the data—attributable to a single entity—which resides across all physical networks. A “network,” as used herein, may also include a network of “virtual” servers, processes, threads, or other ongoing computational processes which communicate with each other, some or all of which may be hosted on a single game machine which may provide information to client servers, processes, threads or other ongoing computational processes on that same game machine, other game machines, or both.

As further illustrated in FIG. 1, a data repository 128 may be coupled to central server 108 for storage or retrieval of data. Such data may include player identification information used to track player points based on frequency of play. Said data repository may physically be located in the server 108, or in a separate machine in the same or separate location.

In another aspect of the invention, additional gaming machines may be grouped into gaming banks throughout a casino or other establishment. For example, additional gaming machines such as gaming machines 114 and 116 may be networked together through a network 118. Gaming machines 114 and 116 may be located at a second different location than gaming machines 102-106. Gaming machines 114 and 116 may also be operatively coupled to central server 108 through network 118 and to gaming machines 102-106 via network 112. Furthermore, additional gaming machines may be installed at a third location such as gaming machines 120-124 and may also be networked and operatively coupled to central server 108 through network 127 and/or gaming machines 102-106 and/or gaming machines 114 and 116.

In an aspect of the invention, networking of gaming machines may enable a chosen gaming machine in the network to act as a random number server for all of the networked machines. In an embodiment, different networked machines may act as the random number server based on criteria such as current processing load of each gaming machine during a particular time period.

In an aspect of the invention, wireless handheld gaming machines 130 and 132 may be networked through a wireless network 138. Gaming machines 130 and 132 may be located at different locations than gaming machines 102-106, 114-116, and 120-124. Gaming machines 130 and 132 may be operatively coupled to a central server 108 through network 138 and/or gaming machines 102-106 and/or gaming machines 114-116 and/or gaming machines 120-124.

FIG. 2 illustrates a simplified diagram of a gaming machine in accordance with an aspect of the invention. For example, gaming machines 102-106 may comprise memories (202, 204, and 206) processors (208, 210, and 212), displays (214, 216, and 218), and communication interfaces (220, 220, and 224). The processors 208, 210, and 212 may execute computer-executable instructions present in memory 202, 204, 206 such that, for example, the gaming machines 102, 104, and 106 may send and receive information to and from central server 108 via network 112.

Gaming machines 102-106 may also include various input devices (226, 228, and 230). The input devices 226, 228, and 230 may include keyboards, track balls, mice, joy sticks, buttons, bill and coin validators, or touchscreens. Gaming machines 102-106 may also include card readers (232, 234, and 236) to enable a player to identify themselves for game tracking purposes.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary user interface screen that may be used in various aspects of the invention. In FIG. 3, an interface screen 302 may be presented to a player of a video keno gaming machine such as gaming machines 102-106. The interface screen 302 may include a grid 304 of eighty numbered squares in the form of a 10 by 8 matrix. Those skilled in the art will realize that traditional keno games have been played with eighty numbered balls and squares. In an aspect of the invention, the matrix may not utilize numbered balls and squares but may contain different symbols or other insignia.

In FIG. 3, one potential outcome has been illustrated for use in describing various aspects of the invention. As shown in interface screen 302, a player has selected ten balls for play in a particular gaming event. For instance, interface screen 302 indicates at 306 that the numbers 28, 29, 30, 38, 46, 49, 51, 64, 76, and 79 have been selected for a gaming event.

In an aspect of the invention, a group of ready numbers 308 may be determined and displayed on user interface 302. The ready numbers 308 may represent numbers that have not been randomly selected over a period of time or numbers which have not been selected as frequently as other numbers over a period of time. For example, a period of time may comprise an amount of time measured from the last reset of the game machine.

In an aspect of the invention, a player may insert their playing card into a card reader of the gaming machine. The insertion of the playing card may reset the time period for calculation of ready numbers. Those skilled in the art will realize that alternative time periods may be used in calculating ready numbers.

As shown in FIG. 3, the ready numbers 308 displayed include numbers 80, 75, 67, 46, 38, 26, 77, 73, 70, and 68. The ready numbers 308 may be ranked and displayed based on the amount of time since they have not been randomly selected. For instance, ready number 80 (310) may represent a number that has not been randomly selected as part of winning outcome set for the longest period of time as compared to the other possible numbers and, therefore, may be displayed at the top of the ready list. In an embodiment, the number of ready numbers displayed may depend on the maximum amount of numbers a player is allowed to select per gaming event.

In FIG. 3, ready numbers 46 (312) and 38 (314) have been chosen by a player as two of their selected number combinations for the gaming event. In another embodiment, a player may select the “play ready” button 316 and the entire list of ready numbers 308 may be selected as a possible set of numbers for a gaming event. Though the entire ready number list 308 may be selected using the play ready button 316, a user may change their selection by pressing any currently selected number on the grid to deselect that number. Therefore, a player may easily select and deselect any combination of numbers they chose for a gaming event.

In another aspect of the invention, a set of hot numbers 318 may be displayed on user interface 302. The hot numbers 318 may represent numbers that have been recently selected more that other numbers in random outcome sets over a period of time. For example, a period of time may comprise an amount of time measured from the last reset of the game machine.

In an aspect of the invention, a player may insert their playing card into a card reader of the gaming machine. The insertion of the playing card may reset the time period for calculation of hot numbers. Those skilled in the art will realize that alternative time periods may be used in calculating hot numbers.

As shown in FIG. 3, the hot numbers 318 displayed include numbers 2, 7, 19, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13. The hot numbers 318 may be ranked and displayed based on the amount of time since they have been randomly selected. For instance, number 2 (320) may represent a number that has been randomly selected as part of the winning outcome sets the greatest amount of time over a certain period as compared to other possible numbers. In an embodiment, the number of hot numbers displayed may depend on the maximum amount of numbers a player is allowed to select per gaming event.

In FIG. 3, a player has not selected any of the hot numbers 318 to be played in this particular gaming event. In another embodiment, a player may select the “play hot” button 322 and the entire list of hot numbers 318 may be selected as a possible set of numbers for a gaming event. Though the entire list may be selected using the play hot button 322, a user may change their selection by pressing any currently selected number on the grid to deselect that number. Therefore, a player may easily select and deselect any combination of numbers they chose for a gaming event.

In another aspect of the invention, a 5 by 5 matrix 702 may be used in which a player may select up to a maximum of five numbers per game. Those skilled in the art will realize that numerous different matrix configurations may be used in accordance with various aspects of the invention, such as small as 5 by 5 (in FIG. 7) and as large as 10×10. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will realize that payouts may be adjusted based on many factors which include the number of possible selections (matrix size) and the number of player selected squares per gaming event.

In a further embodiment, the use of the combination of hot and ready numbers may be used for additional casino games other than Keno. In FIG. 4, hot numbers 402 and ready numbers 404 may be used for Roulette, with a hot number 402 being those numbers that have most recently been landed on by the ball on the Roulette wheel or selected, and a ready number 404 being those numbers that have not most recently been landed on or selected.

In FIG. 5, the hot and ready combination may be used for blackjack games in accordance with an aspect of the invention. In this example, a ready card 502 might be those cards which have not been played recently, or those cards which have been minimally played, while a hot card 504 might be those cards which have been played recently.

In FIG. 6, the hot and ready combination may be used with poker games in accordance with an aspect of the invention. In this example, a ready card 602 might be those cards which haven't been played recently, or those cards which have been minimally played, while a hot card 604 might be those cards which have been played recently.

FIG. 8 shows an exemplary method for playing a casino game with the ready number according to one aspect of the invention. In step 802, a group of non-winning symbols, those symbols which have not been selected as the winning outcome recently, may be determined. In step 804, these non-winning symbols may be displayed to the user. Next, in step 806 the user may select at least one user-selected symbol, which may include as many as all the non-winning symbols or as few as none of the non-winning symbols. In step 808, these user-selected symbols may be displayed. In step 810, a set of random outcome winning numbers may be selected. In step 812, the set of random winning numbers may be displayed. In step 814, the set of random winning numbers may be compared to the user-selected symbols to determine if the user won.

While the invention has been described with respect to specific examples including presently preferred modes of carrying out the invention, those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are numerous variations and permutations of the above described systems and techniques that fall within the spirit and scope of the invention. 

1. An apparatus for playing a casino game, the apparatus comprising: a display; a memory; a processor coupled to the memory and programmed with computer-executable instructions for performing steps comprising: determining a group of symbols that have not been randomly selected over a period of time; displaying at least a portion of the group of symbols; receiving a selection of at least one symbol wherein the selection of at least one symbol may include at least one symbol from the displayed group of symbols; displaying the selected at least one symbol on a grid; receiving an outcome set of random symbols; comparing the outcome set of random symbols to the selected at least one symbol; and determining if any of the outcome set of random symbols matches the selected at least one symbol.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a card reader configured to receive a player card.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the programmed computer-executable instructions further include receiving at least one credit.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the period of time comprises a time from a last reset of the apparatus to receipt of the at least one credit.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the period of time comprises a time from receipt of the player card.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, further including ranking the group of symbols that have not been randomly selected over a period of time.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the selection of symbols may be made by selecting the entire group of symbols as a single button operation.
 8. A method of operating a casino game, the method comprising: determining a group of symbols that have not been randomly selected over a period of time; ranking the group of symbols that have not been randomly selected over a period of time; displaying at least a portion of the ranked group of symbols; receiving a selection of at least one symbol wherein the selection of at least one symbol may include at least one symbol from the displayed ranked group of symbols; displaying the selected at least one symbol on a grid; receiving a random set of outcome symbols; comparing the random set of outcome symbols to the selected at least one symbol; and determining if any of the random set of outcome symbols match the selected at least one symbol.
 9. The method of claim 8, further including receiving at least one credit.
 10. The method of claim 8, wherein the period of time comprises a time from a last reset of the gaming machine to receipt of the at least one credit.
 11. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving a player card input.
 12. The method of claim 10, wherein the period of time comprises a time from receipt of the player card.
 13. The method of claim 8, wherein the group of symbols comprises positive integers numbered between one and one hundred.
 14. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of receiving a selection of at least one symbol comprises receiving up to ten symbols from a user selected group of symbols and/or the displayed ranked group of symbols.
 15. The method of claim 8, wherein the selection of at least one symbol may be made by selecting the entire group of symbols as a single button operation.
 16. The method of claim 14, wherein the up to ten symbols comprise positive integers numbered between one and one hundred.
 17. A method of operating a casino game, the method comprising: receiving at least one credit; determining a first group of symbols that have been randomly selected more than other randomly selected symbols over a period of time; determining a second group of symbols that have not been randomly selected over a period of time; ranking the first group of symbols that have been randomly selected over a period of time; displaying at least a portion of the ranked first group of symbols; ranking the second group of symbols that have not been randomly selected over a period of time; displaying at least a portion of the ranked second group of symbols; receiving a selection of at least one symbol wherein the selection of at least one symbol may include at least one symbol from the displayed ranked second group of symbols; displaying the selected at least one symbol on a grid; receiving an outcome set of random symbols; comparing the outcome set of random symbols to the selected at least one symbol; and determining if any of the outcome set of random symbols matches the selected at least one symbol.
 18. The method of claim 16, further comprising receiving a player card input in a card reader.
 19. The method of claim 16, wherein the period of time comprises a time from receipt of the player card to receipt of the at least one credit.
 20. The method of claim 16, wherein the first group and second group of symbols comprise positive integers numbered between one and one hundred.
 21. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of receiving a selection of at least one symbol comprises receiving ten symbols from the displayed ranked second group of symbols.
 22. The method of claim 16 wherein the first and second groups of symbols comprise positive integers numbered between one and one hundred.
 23. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of receiving a selection of at least one symbol comprises receiving six symbols from the displayed ranked second group of symbols.
 24. An apparatus for playing a casino game, the apparatus comprising: a display; a memory; a processor coupled to the memory and programmed with computer-executable instructions for performing steps comprising: determining a first group of symbols that have been randomly selected more than other randomly selected symbols over a period of time; determining a second group of symbols that have not been randomly selected over a period of time; ranking the first group of symbols that have been randomly selected over a period of time; displaying at least a portion of the ranked first group of symbols; ranking the second group of symbols that have not been randomly selected over a period of time; displaying at least a portion of the ranked second group of symbols; receiving a selection of at least one symbol wherein the selection of at least one symbol may include at least one symbol from the displayed ranked second group of symbols; displaying the selected at least one symbol on a grid; receiving an outcome set of random symbols; comparing the outcome set of random symbols to the selected at least one symbol; and determining if any of the outcome set of random symbols matches the selected at least one symbol.
 25. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing steps comprising: determining a group of symbols that have not been randomly selected over a period of time; ranking the group of symbols that have not been randomly selected over a period of time; displaying at least a portion of the ranked group of symbols; receiving a selection of at least one symbol wherein the selection of at least one symbol may include at least one symbol from the displayed ranked group of symbols; displaying the selected at least one symbol on a grid; receiving an outcome set of random symbols; comparing the outcome set of random symbols to the selected at least one symbol; and determining if any of the outcome set of random symbols matches the selected at least one symbol.
 26. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the group of symbols comprises positive integers numbered between one and one hundred.
 27. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the step of receiving a selection of at least one symbol comprises receiving up to ten symbols from a user selected group of symbols and/or the the displayed ranked group of symbols.
 28. The computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein the up to ten symbols comprise positive integers between numbers one and one hundred.
 29. An apparatus for playing keno, the apparatus comprising: a display; a memory; a processor coupled to the memory and programmed with computer-executable instructions for performing steps comprising: determining a group of numbers that have not been randomly selected over a period of time; and displaying at least a portion of the group of numbers.
 30. An apparatus for playing poker, the apparatus comprising: a display; a memory; a processor coupled to the memory and programmed with computer-executable instructions for performing steps comprising: determining a group of symbols that have not been randomly selected over a period of time; and displaying at least a portion of the group of symbols.
 31. A method of operating a poker game, the method comprising: determining a group of symbols that have not been randomly selected over a period of time; ranking the group of symbols that have not been randomly selected over a period of time; displaying at least a portion of the ranked group of symbols.
 32. An apparatus for playing roulette, the apparatus comprising: a display; a memory; a processor coupled to the memory and programmed with computer-executable instructions for performing steps comprising: determining a group of symbols that have not been randomly selected over a period of time; displaying at least a portion of the group of symbols; receiving a selection of at least one symbol wherein the selection of at least one symbol may include at least one symbol from the displayed ranked group of symbols; displaying the selected at least one symbol on a grid; receiving an outcome random symbol; comparing the outcome random symbol to the selected at least one symbol; and determining if the outcome random symbol matches the selected at least one symbol.
 33. A method of operating a roulette game, the method comprising: determining a group of symbols that have not been randomly selected over a period of time; ranking the group of symbols that have not been randomly selected over a period of time; displaying at least a portion of the ranked group of symbols; receiving a selection of at least one symbol wherein the selection of at least one symbol may include at least one symbol from the displayed ranked group of symbols; displaying the selected at least one symbol on a grid; receiving a random outcome symbol; comparing the random outcome symbol to the selected at least one symbol; and determining if the random outcome symbol matches the selected at least one symbol.
 34. An apparatus for blackjack, the apparatus comprising: a display; a memory; a processor coupled to the memory and programmed with computer-executable instructions for performing steps comprising: determining a group of symbols that have not been randomly selected over a period of time; and displaying at least a portion of the group of symbols.
 35. A method of operating a blackjack game, the method comprising: determining a group of symbols that have not been randomly selected over a period of time; ranking the group of symbols that have not been randomly selected over a period of time; displaying at least a portion of the ranked group of symbols. 